Indian captain Rohit Sharma stated that while the 50-over World Cup is his ultimate goal, winning the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand was a significant achievement. India won by four wickets, securing their third Champions Trophy title. Chasing 252 runs, Rohit Sharma scored 76, including seven fours and three sixes, laying a strong foundation for the innings. Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, and KL Rahul also contributed to India’s victory in Dubai. Despite rumors about his retirement, Rohit played his best innings in the final.
This was Rohit’s first score over 30 in the tournament, as he had previously struggled to convert good starts in the last four matches.
“Winning any ICC tournament is always the aim. The One-Day World Cup is special because it’s the World Cup we grew up watching. We didn’t have events like the World Test Championship or many Champions Trophies back then. That’s why the World Cup holds a unique place. But winning this Champions Trophy is also a major accomplishment. It takes immense effort to win,” Rohit said at the post-match press conference.
Rohit emphasized the importance of India’s victory and dedicated it to the entire country.
“A win is a win. Winning any final is a matter of great pride. Today, not just me, but the entire nation is incredibly happy. Winning any final is a big deal. That’s all I want to say,” he added.
Former Indian fast bowler Laxmi Ratan Shukla praised Rohit’s captaincy after the final.
“It was a fantastic victory. There were discussions about Rohit Sharma’s form not being ideal. I believed he was in good form but was getting out early. In the final, he played cautiously and secured the trophy for India. Virat Kohli was dismissed early, which disrupted the team’s balance, but the Indian batsmen performed well to win the trophy,” Shukla said.
“All the criticism after the Test losses against New Zealand and Australia will be forgotten with this win. Rohit Sharma was excellent in his captaincy and batting. Virat Kohli, despite being out of form, batted well against Pakistan and Australia. Overall, it was a great team effort,” he further stated.
Rohit is only the second Indian captain, after MS Dhoni, to win two or more ICC titles. MS Dhoni is the only captain to have won all three major ICC white-ball tournaments.
